Anti-Abortion Lawyer Wants Names of People Who Donated to 9 Texas Abortion Funds

[DemocraticPatriot]

Last edited Fri Sep 29, 2023, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Yahoo News

A Texas lawyer is trying to get the names of donors to nine abortion funds in the state, as well as information on every abortion the funds may have assisted with since September 2021, when the state’s bounty-hunter law took effect. He’s seeking the identities of thousands of people in Texas and across the country in a move that advocates say could threaten the operations of the non-profit groups, which are already struggling to raise enough money.

The effort isn’t likely to be successful because the First Amendment protects people’s right to associate, but the lawyer doesn’t need a judge to agree with him in order to cause harm for abortion seekers. Just the act of requesting the information could be enough to scare people out of donating to abortion funds, said Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel and legal director for If/When/How, an advocacy organization that helps abortion seekers with legal questions and runs a defense fund for criminal abortion cases.

Jezebel contacted Mitchell for comment about the requests to abortion funds, and he declined to speak on the record. The plaintiff abortion funds said in a press release that “Mitchell and his clients are abusing the discovery process…to subject thousands of people to mass surveillance and harassment.”

Diaz-Tello said that, overall, conservatives like Mitchell are engaging in a “campaign of terror” to manipulate laws against abortion seekers and their loved ones. Of the Mitchell-backed lawsuit where a man is suing his ex’s friends, she said that “it’s essentially abusing the legal system” to scare people out of helping each other: “This is sort of saying that if you do that, if you privately support your friend in a way that is so natural to any of us, that we’re going to expose you, your name is going to be out there, we’re going to come to your place of work and serve you with papers.” It’s threatening to put people through the “humiliating hallmarks of being dragged into the legal system,” to say nothing of the time, stress, and cost of being involved in a court case.

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/anti-abortion-lawyer-wants-names-182600651.html#:~:text=Jezebel-,Anti%2DAbortion%20Lawyer%20Wants%20Names%20of%20People%20Who,to%209%20Texas%20Abortion%20Funds&text=A%20Texas%20lawyer%20is%20trying,bounty%2Dhunter%20law%20took%

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This is all going too far!

This lawyer must know that he has close to zero chance of obtaining such lists--- he is doing this hoping for publicity, only to intimidate potential donors and women who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy, or who desperately need an abortion for health reasons...


We need to find a way to strike back at these people! Maybe I will create a list of my own--- including any of their publicly available contact information... This guy is a lawyer... I presume he has an office with a street address...

All these rightwingers are attacking the rights of women, LGT and others, and feel that they can do this without much risk.
That should change!

(I am not advocating violence against these people--- but I absolutely will advocate the exposure of more information about them...
in this instance, no MORE personal details than this lawyer is seeking to obtain....)

[mwooldri]

1. Well I have one name that lawyer can have.

Nanya Bidness.

[sheshe2]

3. +1000

[SouthernDem4ever]

15. I like "Dumbass" better

[azureblue]

22. a religiouss nut

forcing his sect's dogma on everybody else. The whole anti abortion movement is built on nothing more than a religious belief. Even though the Bible says that life begins at first breath.

He's a Baptist. BTW

[SouthernDem4ever]

28. Religious nut and dumbass are interchangeable.

[pwb]

2. I confess, it was me.

If I knew about it.

[RobertDevereaux]

4. Here's another.

Hugo Pound Sand

[tom_kelly]

5. Now, how many abortions has Mr. Mitchell paid for in his past?

[Freethinker65]

6. Bet there are some GOP family members on those lists

[Lonestarblue]

7. My name would be on the list since I've donated to Planned Parenthood for years.

So once they have my name and address, what do they think they can do to me? I have a right to donate to any legitimate charitable organization.

The police state is expanding in Texas. Their attempt to restrict travel on public roads is unconstitutional, but they’re passing laws anyway. The goal is obvious—make women and their families and friends so afraid of anything to do with abortion that they just have unwanted children they can’t support (and for which they will get zero help from the state) or die from lack of appropriate care. These people are completely evil, as is the Supreme Court for letting the Texas law stand giving vigilantes the right to spy on and harm women even after they overturned Roe. That law turned the whole concept of harm as a justification for a lawsuit on its head.

[PortTack]

8. Same!! I think all who have should rush to submit!!

[DemocraticPatriot]

11. I don't think Planned Parenthood was on the list, was it ?

This lawyer is asking for lists from nine entities who will FINANCE women's travel out of state to obtain an abortion, who finance their assistance via donations. PP does not do that, as far as I know...


Yes, Texas (and Florida) have become the laboratories for American Fascism....

People like this lawyer should not be able to continue such activities without paying any personal cost...

I think that all classes of information which he is seeking to obtain about these people,
his own ought to be published somewhere...

[SpamWyzer]

9. In a battle,

in a struggle for values that MATTER, the "inconvenience of solidarity" is not an excuse.This whining; “humiliating hallmarks of being dragged into the legal system,” is despicable. If we don't stand together, we fall separately. SIMPLE. Give donations and rest on the morals of your support. If this is actually a scare tactic, don't be scared. End.

[ancianita]

10. How is money not speech? How is donating not protected as free speech.

[DemocraticPatriot]

12. He isn't trying to stop their donations, he just wants a list... :)

Oh, wait a minute!!!

But yes, his requests will likely be denied on First Amendment grounds. If they aren't, the courts are even worse than we thought...


The likely motive of this action is not to obtain the lists, because as a lawyer, he ought to know that it is extremely unlikely. The aim is to generate publicity and fear, in those who donate to these groups, and in women who may find themselves in need of an abortion in Texas, or elsewhere...

[ancianita]

13. No. His likely motive is to use the donation material to arrest those aiding and

abetting a woman's bodily autonomy. To donate is part of a conspiracy to help a woman exert her 1st, 9th, 13th, and 14th amendment rights. A criminalizing/weaponizing of govt against half the population and its supporters.

[DemocraticPatriot]

14. Yes, he would LIKE that---

but if he is worth anything as a lawyer, he would know this is a waste of time...


OTOH, I do not know if he is 'worth anything as a lawyer'--

If he is only a 'true fascist believer', he might be hoping for a 'successful action' here-- aided by some far-right judge



I may be 'at fault' for presuming that a practicing lawyer has common sense...

[ancianita]

16. But he'll be sued, which he wouldn't like.

[sybylla]

23. Brilliant! Use the Citizens United language against these mofos

It won’t stop the SCOTUS from being giant freaking hypocrites when they endorse this crap, but it will delineate quite clearly who they think are the “real” citizens.

[Attilatheblond]

17. Once he makes enough noise on this, guessing he will announce he's running for office

Sure seems like a prelude to a candidacy in the maga world of TX

[sakabatou]

18. He'd spread the list far and wide so others could intimidate and harass them, or worse

[calimary]

19. Sooooooo... what sorts of secrets does he have in his closet?

Asking for a friend.

[azureblue]

20. isn't this teh same lawyer

who was accused of mishandling his client's funds? We need to know. Investigate!

[MissMillie]

21. They love the dark money in political campaigns

but they won't abide by it elsewhere.


So, they made it possible to sue someone for helping someone else obtain an abortion, and now they think it's the state's job to supply them with evidence...

[Turbineguy]

24. Gee, I never thought there would be a downside to Citizens United.

(takes off red hat).

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

25. One more reason to boycott Texass

Don't give any business from there a penny. No vacations. No shopping. No connecting flight fees. Nothing. When I go to the West coast. I fill up before crossing the OK/TX border and don't stop til Tucumcari, NM.

[2live is 2fly]

26. This is why President Biden is neck & neck with tfg bc the only way this can ever change (at least

in our future) is to increase the number of progressive justices on the supreme court. As far as scaring ppl out of donating, I think it's possible it could for certain individuals have the opposite effect, especially out of state donations. We know we're protected and have rights and would jump at the opportunity to tell these mofo TX. fascists to fuck-off.

[dembotoz]

27. feel the need to donate in his name

[Quanto Magnus]

29. sure

as soon as the entire GOP reveals their entire list of Dark Money donors...

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

30. He can go fuck himself

[XorXor]

31. In a sane world these extreme acts would harm Republicans

And the more moderate/sane/rational Republicans would be going out of their way to prevent these extremists from making them look bad.


If only we lived in a sane and rational world .

[niyad]

32. And I want the names of every WOMAN-HATING PIECE OF SHIT funding you.